Every morning, millions of couples get up together, have their
morning coffee together??? and go to work together. Could you
and your spouse do it, too, or would you drive each other nuts?

While entrepreneurial couples' motives are as individual as
their relationships, one thing all successful couples need is a
firm foundation. Not every couple can work together, cautions
Azriela Jaffe, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, business coach, speaker
and author of Honey, I Want to Start My Own Business: a Planning
Guide for Couples (HarperBusiness, $13, 800-236-7323). "A lot
of people can't imagine working with their spouse all day long
and still being in love at the end of the day," says Jaffe.
"You have to love spending time together. Some couples thrive
on being in each other's company."

Above and beyond that, Jaffe continues, "[Successful
entrepreneurial] couples know how to resolve conflicts around power
and decision-making. They've worked out these issues in their
marriages [before they've begun businesses]."

For Susan and Jerry Hatchett, success as business partners
followed naturally from success in marriage. Although Susan, 36,
had assisted her husband ever since he bought his first pawn shop
in 1981, she didn't join him as a full-time partner until he
opened his most recent store, Jerry's Trading Post and Pawn
Shop, in 1995. The Hatchetts also operate a homebased business
through which they market Jerry's invention, the EasyBraid
French braid maker.

"To get along well in business, you have to get along well
personally first," says Jerry, 38. "Bumps exist in every
marriage, but they need to be worked out at home, not in the
business."

Got A Plan?

To help smooth the road to entrepreneurship, couples should
write a business plan, says Patricia Frishkoff, founder and
director of the Austin Family Business Program at Oregon State
University in Corvallis, Oregon. In addition to traditional
components like a marketing plan and financial forecasts, the plan
should also outline your expectations in terms of your
relationship. "With every decision," urges Frishkoff,
"you need to look at the impact on both the [marriage] and the
business."

Putting plans and goals in writing worked for Ann and John
Christensen, founders of Christensen Designs in Manteca,
California. The two were married in 1988; in 1989, they launched
their first product, a windless wind chime John invented. Ann's
invention--a message-in-a-bottle kit and launching service for
those who don't live near the ocean--followed.

Last year, John, 52, a former engineer for the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory, developed a line of remote-control
video probe devices now used by wildlife researchers to study
endangered species in a variety of habitats.

"It was a sensationally successful first year," says
Ann, 43. "We sold more than 25 Tree Top Peeper II units to the
Forest Service in 1997 at about $4,000 each."

Planning had a lot to do with that success. "We spent a lot
of time talking about how we wanted to run the business and what
things we find enjoyable," says John. "We also listed our
talents: What can I do? What can she do? How can we put these
together?"

Perfect Harmony

Even couples with strong marriages need autonomy for a business
to succeed--but not too much autonomy. "It's easy for a
husband and wife to get into competition with each other,"
John Christensen says. "For us, Ann's word is law when it
comes to sales and marketing, although I can put in my two
cents' worth. When it comes to [designing and manufacturing the
product], she gives her input, but, essentially, I decide how
that's going to work. However, neither one of us operates so
autonomously that we don't listen to each other."

The Hatchetts' system for defining duties came about
naturally. "We complement one another," explains Susan.
"The tasks he doesn't care for happen to be the things I
like to do."

Many couples find a division of labor arises naturally. But even
if this isn't the case for you, it's important to agree on
which tasks each of you will handle and how far your authority
extends.

Balancing Act

As their businesses grow, many entrepreneurial couples find it
difficult to separate home and work. "Most people can't
shut off business when they go home and, particularly if you have
children, you're not going to shut family off when you go to
work," Frishkoff says. "Instead, the objective should be
to appropriately juggle the two focuses in your life and integrate
them in a way that allows you to have good relationships in both
arenas."

While some spillover may be healthy, experts caution against
letting the business take over your lives. "Work is an
important part of your life, but it's only one part," says
Scott Gregory, author with his wife, Shirley, of The Home
Team: How Couples Can Make a Life and a Living by Working at Home
(Panda Publishing, $22.95, 888-447-2632). "It takes a lot of
time and energy to become a successful entrepreneur. But you have
to remember to take time away from work and spend time with your
family."

Although they face special challenges, entrepreneurial couples
have one big advantage on their side: a common goal. "Jerry
and I are working together toward the same goal--to do well for our
family," says Susan Hatchett.

Couples who've discovered how to work together successfully
while maintaining a loving relationship share the best of both
worlds. Susan Hatchett sums up what most such entrepreneurs feel:
"I can't imagine him going back to a job where we
aren't together all the time."

Resources

The following books, newsletters and Web sites can help your
partnership blossom:

How to Raise a Family and a Career Under One Roof: A
Parent's Guide to Home Business, by Lisa Roberts (Bookhaven
Press, $15.95, 800-782-7424)

Scott and Shirley Gregory's Bookhome Publishing publishes
books on relationships and business, as well as The Home Team
Report, a bimonthly newsletter for people who work at home.
Subscriptions cost $29 per year. Call (877)?32-2438 or visit
http://www.bookhome.com